Syracuse's exhibition win over Holy Family provides learning experience for the Orange

Syracuse forward C.J. Fair dribbles away from Holy Family defender Ervin Ezell and into Alberto Munoz in the second half of Friday's exhibition game at the Carrier Dome.
(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.)

Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team has been practicing since Sept. 29.

On Friday night, the 1st of November, the Orange finally got a chance to go up against a team wearing different colored uniforms as Holy Family, a Division II school from Philadelphia, Pa., came to the Carrier Dome for an exhibition game.

"We've been playing against each other for over a month,'' Syracuse freshman Tyler Ennis said. "We know the offense. It's kind of difficult playing against guys and they know the plays already. So just getting out there and playing a different set of guys was the best thing.''

The Orange probably could have beaten Holy Family even if the Tigers did know Syracuse's offensive plays, but since the Tigers didn't have knowledge of Syracuse's playbook the final score was an inevitable 79-41 in front of 8,514 fans at the Dome.

Friday's game was a long time coming for the Syracuse players, who had their appetites whetted with a four-game exhibition tour of Canada back in August.

"We hadn't played a game since Canada,'' Syracuse junior forward Rakeem Christmas said. "We just wanted to come out and have fun. It was a little shaky in the beginning, but we got the hang of it and everyone played a good game.''

Syracuse simply overwhelmed Holy Family, holding the Tigers to 25.8 percent field-goal shooting. Holy Family made just three of its 25 shots from 3-point range.

Syracuse roared out to leads of 10-0 and 19-4 before finishing the first half ahead 38-13. The Orange had a 38-point margin with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

The blowout gave Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim a chance to play all 11 of his scholarship players — in the first half. Every Syracuse player saw at least 14 minutes of playing time.

"It's a good learning experience to get everyone an opportunity,'' Boeheim said. "We did a lot of good things and then we did a lot of things that, first time out, things we're going to have to do better.''

The good side of Syracuse's ledger seemed fuller than the bad side.

Trevor Cooney, who struggled to find his shot as a freshman and now finds himself taking over for four-year starter Brandon Triche, went 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

"It felt good,'' Cooney said. "I worked on getting in shape this summer, knowing I would get an opportunity to get more minutes. My legs felt great out there. I didn't feel winded at all.''

Jerami Grant, who many observers think might be headed for a breakout season, came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points. The 6-8 sophomore went 3-for-5 from the field and 7-for-9 at the foul line.

Ennis, the freshman who is charged with taking over for NBA lottery pick Michael Carter-Williams, played with the poise that he displayed on the Canada trip. Ennis scored 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting. He dished out three assists. The only blemishes were a pair of turnovers.

"Early in the year, some teams that we're playing will play zone,'' Boeheim said. "Once we get into the conference, I don't think we'll see that many zones.''

Fair, the senior forward who was named the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason Player of the Year, scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds — and then insisted that he had struggled. Fair made five of his 10 shots, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range. He scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half.

"I couldn't find a rhythm and I was missing some shots that I normally make,'' Fair said. "In the second half, I still came out sorta slow, but I picked it up toward the end.''

Syracuse will play Ryerson in an exhibition next Tuesday before opening the regular season against Cornell on Friday, Nov. 8, at the Carrier Dome. That gives the Orange one more learning experience before the games that count.

"I think as a team we take a lot from this game,'' Fair said. "This was definitely a learning game. We showed some great spurts and then we showed some lack of effort. Overall, I think we can get better from this.''